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Queen did NOT ask William and Harry to stand apart at Prince Philip's funeral, here's who 'made the decision'

Cousin Peter Phillips walked between the brothers in order to maintain some distance between them at Prince Philip's funeral ceremony

The two brothers finally showed some sign of reconciliation at Prince Philip's funeral or at least took the first steps to do so. However, this came only after the brothers walked separately at their grandfather's funeral. Turns out, it was Prince William who was reportedly the one who wanted to maintain some distance from his brother during the funeral ceremony.

While some may have thought this was a decision taken by the Queen, royal insiders claim that it was Prince William who was behind the controversial decision to not walk beside his brother at Prince Philip's funeral. Prince William's decision was obviously heeded as he was separated from Prince Harry at the funeral by their cousin Peter Phillips, Princess Anne's son.

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Charlie Rae, the former royal editor at The Sun, told talkRADIO that it was William, not the Queen, who was behind the controversial decision. Talking to talkRADIO's Kevin O'Sullivan, Rae said he wasn't sure the Duke of Sussex "fully understands the hurt he has caused". He added, "No wonder William is so furious. I have some sympathy with his decision not to walk next to his brother. I do sense it would have been William being the prime mover in this."

O'Sullivan asked: "He would have said 'After the way my brother has behaved, I'm not walking next to him'. Would you agree?" Rae remarked: "Yes, I can't argue with it because the appearance is that is what happened. The Oprah interview did so much damage, and hurt so many people in the Royal Family." He also added, "William isn't going to trust speaking to Harry during the visit in case it ends up on US television. I'm not sure he fully understands the hurt he has caused."

It comes as no surprise as to why Prince William would have wanted to keep some space between him and his brother. After all, besides the fact that Prince William is reportedly furious with his younger brother for the tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, neither he nor any member of the royal family would want the attention to be diverted from honoring Prince Philip at the funeral ceremony.

Fans of the royal family, however, were heartbroken when the two brothers didn't walk side by side. One tweeted, "It's heartbreaking that William and Harry aren't walking side by side. I hope they can mend their relationship while Harry is over there. #williamandharry." Others took a slightly more light-hearted approach, especially to Peter Phillips' role. One tweeted, "I'm just pleased they found someone suitable to walk between #WilliamandHarry."

Also, Prince William is reportedly wary of talking to his brother during this visit, in case it ends up being splashed all over media channels and publications. Anchor Gayle King recently said that talks within the royal family have not been productive.

Responding to this, one fan tweeted about the recent US coverage of the royal family and said, "It is good to see #williamandharry walking and talking together! Maybe now @GayleKing @CBSThisMorning can cut the gossip bs! THEY ARE STILL FAMILY WITH FAMILY PROBLEMS! They will be okay! #PrincePhilipfuneral #QueenElizabeth."

But while Prince William maintained his distance during the funeral, the brothers did have a short chat later, all thanks to Kate Middleton breaking the ice. Fans are hoping that this will lead to the brothers walking side by side in life again, once they have had a chance to iron out their reported differences.